Chapter 35: The New World

Pain, discomfort, disorientation, his entire body felt strange, as if he had just been yanked out of a pool of water and shoved straight into another pool of water that just felt off to him. "Uhg… d-did we succeed?" the tired voice of the old panda entered Shin's ears as he slowly opened his eyes and got up, "Oh no!" A sudden panic hit Shin as he started to rummage through his jacket and pulled out a small ball of black fur. Shin checked each and everything as he heard the labored breaths of the cat before he finally sighed, 'She'll be fine.'

Shin looked at the old panda and got up to his feet and started to look around, trying to find the memories of this place or even a hint of his home. Lao looked at the blue sky above them, the grass at their feet and the silent trees that surrounded them until, "That!" Lao's eyes widened as he rushed to a tree.

Shin too walked towards that tree, crying Pineapple in his arms. Shin saw strange Chinese characters carved onto the tree bark and watched as Lao caressed them gently with his paws. Tears started to fall from his eyes as his silent sobs threatened to break free, "I… I am h-home!"

"Come!" the panda shouted at Shin as he ran off through the woods without waiting for Shin or giving any explanations. Shin followed and the two were soon out of the forest and came upon a valley. "Wow…" the word involuntarily escaped Shin's mouth as he saw a valley, full of many houses by a serene lake, the distant silhouettes of the mountains covered with the morning mist as the sun's warm rays fell onto this valley, waking up the residents of this peaceful place.

The place looked as if it had been pulled into reality from a painting, it was the very definition of serenity and natural beauty. Shin looked beside him and saw the old panda, who had once been a master of martial arts and held of unshakable and aloof demeanor worthy of his rank, look upon this scene with such intensity, takinging in every sight, breathing in every smell with gasping breath, afraid to blink in fear of everything disappearing like a dream.

The old panda remained in this trance until it finally broke as he saw a small distant figure and muttered a single word, "Ao!" the old red panda ran off, rushing towards the emerging figure as he shouted, "AO!" The figure turned around with widened eyes and as she saw Lao running towards her, she too started to run and the two embraced while their tears of joy fell without care.

Shin didn't wish to break this reunion so he just sat down to rest and watched the sun rise on what was perhaps the most peaceful and beautiful place he had ever seen. Seeing the old red panda couple getting swarmed by many other pandas, both red and giant pandas, gave Shin a sense of peace and joy.

Shin watched for some time as Lao was greeted and hugged by countless pandas and soon enough the entire village had gathered, it wasn't until someone noticed Shin sitting by the edge of the forest that Lao finally walked over.

Lao walked over to Shin alongside his wife, wearing a bright smile as he stood in front of Shin before jumping to hug him, "Thank you Shin! I had already resigned myself to my fate. I had told myself that I would never be able to return home but… Thank you!" Shin smiled and was about to speak but another red panda squeezed him into an embrace, "Thank you for bringing my husband back to me!" the woman cried.

After the touching reunion, the panda couple led Shin into their house and Ao prepared a feast for them, the entire village sending food and drinks, expressing concern at Lao's loss of weight and Shin's lack of fat. "You poor thing! You must have been starving!" Ao lamented while wiping a tear from her eye and putting the 5th plate of dumplings in front of him, "Just eat these as I prepare the breakfast ok?" she squeezed his cheeks before returning to cooking.

Shin looked at Lao who sat next to him on the dinner table, his eyes fixed to his wife. Shin waved his hand and then his arms before he finally got his attention and whispered, "What does she mean breakfast!? I don't even think I can digest this until tomorrow!" The old panda laughed at Shin and got up, "Hahaha, alright Ao, you make sure little Shin is nice and full! I should go greet the Ancestor."

"Alright, be quick ok?" Ao sent him off before coming to Shin with a worried expression, "What's wrong Shin? You're not eating? Do you not like the food?" Shin quickly waved his hands, "No No, the food is great!" Shin praised and the food was indeed quite excellent but that didn't change the fact that he was close to bursting, yet his praise was useless as the woman showed a sad face, "How is it good? You're just saying this. Why else would you not eat anything?"

Shin was stuck, looking at the panda's sad expression, he had no other choice but to pick up another dumpling and start to eat it, all the while praying for a quick release, 'Assal save me!'

[Not even the gods can save you.]

'UGH!'

After getting stuffed like a turkey ready to be roasted, Ao told Shin to rest in the bedroom with Pineapple. Lying down right after eating is not good for your health, but Shin could barely move so he took this "kind" offer and layed down, soon falling into a food coma.

Shin didn't wake up until the next morning and when he did, he felt no exhaustion at all, his body had completely recovered, even his chakra had completely recovered. Shin got up to find Pineapple missing, he went out the room and found Lao and his wife flirting as Pineapple ate away at the table like a starving cat. Shin coughed, causing Ao to jump as she saw Shin and the red panda ran away to the kitchen to make him some breakfast, causing Shin to sweat.

Lao gestured to Shin to sit next to him as he spoke with a smile, "You will be here for three months right? I've already talked with Ancestor, he has agreed to train you but first he wants to make sure you are well prepared so we're leaving tomorrow to find the best master of martial arts in all the lands!"

Shin nodded, to learn from such an expert would be a golden opportunity for Shin, he would be able to utilize Chi to a greater extent and gain an edge against all the demigods that he would have to fight against when he returned.

"Here you go! You must be tired from all that sleeping! Eat up!" Ao smiled as she put 5 different dishes in front of Shin. Shin on the other hand just smiled while his trembling hands picked up his chopsticks. "T-thank you for the food T~T"

After another food coma, Shin and Lao started their journey with a very reluctant Ao packing them a huge bag for the trip. Shin knew that Lao was just as reluctant to leave, afterall he had just been reunited with his wife after nearly a year of sudden separation, so this kind gesture made Shin even more thankful to them.

The journey was moderately paced, taking them a whole week to reach their destination which was another valley. It was more akin to a small bustling village with various animals walking in and out, dragging carts and bags of various goods, stalls displaying various items from integrated jewelry to various vegetables and fruits.

Shin looked around, taking in every sight of this exotic world, Pineapple lounging on his shoulder was just as curious as her head kept turning at every new sight or sound. The two of them naturally attracted a lot of attention, for one, Shin had yet to see any humans and according to Lao, he had never even seen a human before he transmigrated. Pineapple was a rare sight too, afterall she didn't have the human-like features that all the other animals processed.

Infact, Shin had to clothe Pineapple because according to Lao, not doing that would be a crime. Nonetheless, Shin ignored the curious gazes and pointed fingers as he tried various street foods and observed everything, from the various animals to the building designs. Lao was more than happy to pay for everything and show him around.

According to the old panda, this place was considered the holy land of martial arts with every animal that dared to call itself a master having once walked these historic streets and trained in the hallowed halls of the Jade Palace. Lao himself had once studied under the masters that called this place home.

Shin could see many animals practicing various forms of martial arts, some even sparring with each other and some older animals instructing the younger ones while displaying their prowess incertain styles. Shin's sharingan recording their every movement in detail and observing the flow of their chakras.

Although the animals here didn't use chakra but instead relied on Chi, Shin found that they indeed processed it and observing it allowed Shin to gain some insight on how Chi behaved, enhancing Shin's understanding of the energy.

The duo wandered the streets all afternoon until Lao decided that it was time to head towards their destination and brought Shin to the edge of the valley. Shin looked up and saw an illusionary palace, hidden among the clouds and mountains. Shin's sight slowly dropped down from the mountain peak to the path that led to that place and he narrowed his eyes, his breath a calm sea, ready to explode and his heart rapidly pumping as if he was getting ready for battle. Shin stared at the obstacle in front of him and spoke a wingle word, "Stairs…"

Stars, that's what Shin saw when he reached the top, not because he was tired but simply because that was how long it took them to climb all the stairs step by step, Lao had strongly insisted that they not rush up as that would be disrespectful. "Meow OwO" Pineapple tiredly yawned as she jumped off Shin, getting a stink eye from the boy since the cat simply refused to get off during the climb but got off the moment they reached the top.

Lao led Shin through the palace and into the hall of heroes, showing off the many items displayed there including a ladle, "Ah, Ancestor used this ladle to fight against the Jombies." Lao explained. "Jombies?" Shin asked in an amused tone. "Jade zombies. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to look around. Wait here for now while I go get the master of the palace."

Lao left Shin to wander around and that was exactly what he did, looking, touching and poking the various things in the hall, even almost tripping a very poorly put together urn that had definitely been broken countless times. Shin looked around until he came across a small pond, there was not a single ripple or trace of dirt in it, just the gently floating pink leaves and a majestic reflection of a gold and jade dragon.

Shin looked up and saw the dragon, raising his eyebrow, "The dragon scroll?" he muttered. Last he knew of it, it was empty and no longer in the mouth of the dragon so Shin was surprised to find it back at its original place again.

Shin looked around, seeing noone, he pondered getting it for himself and seeing if it really was empty but stopped when he sensed a presence approaching, "Took you long enough, I was getting bored." he spoke as he turned around to see a white tiger wearing a silver and gray robe enter the hall.

Shin was not expecting this, he had thought it was Lao so he just remained silent and observed the newcomer. The leopard on the other hand was startled, both at Shin's appearance and his presence "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she asked in a cautious and threatening tone.

Shin however remained calm as he observed her.

[Name: ???

Age: 15

Level: 45(+15)

Title: ???]

According to Assal, since he had yet to adapt to this new world, he could only gain the surface information of its residents. Regardless, seeing the level disparity between them, Shin was not as worried as he replied to her in a casual tone, "Oh nothing, just having a look around and wondering how I should get that scroll." He pointed to the dragon above him.

The leopard's expression twisted as she roared, "You are a thief!" She dropped on all fours and ran towards him, reaching him in a second before jumping and extending her leg into a high kick, aiming for Shin's head.

'She's faster than I expected.' Shin thought as he simply turned to avoid the attack. The leopard went past him and slid to the edge of the pond before she jumped back at Shin and started to throw palm strikes at him. Shin could see all her moves in slow motion, in fact he didn't even need to use the sharingan but wasn't exactly looking at the leopard but the movement of energy inside her.

Shin, turners, stepped, ducked, jumped and dodged nearly all attacks while simply parrying away the ones he couldn't. He started to see the leopard starting to get pissed off more and more as the fight went on so he decided to strike, "What's the matter kitten? There's no reason we can't share, I'll take the sword and you take the dragon scroll?" Shin pointed to a jade sword on display.

The leopard's eyes shifted at offer before she roared, "I am not a thief like you!" She pulled her hands back and Shin could see the energy move inside her as a red fire sparked into existence between her hands. Shin could feel the intense heat from a distance, 'She's using pure chi and converting it into fire, that's definitely gonna hurt.'

The leopard ran towards Shin as he weaved hand signs, the action resulting in her caution as she chose to throw the fire at Shin as he spat out a jet of water. A sharp burst of steam flooded the whole place and a loud voice thundered throughout the hall, dispersing the mist, "What is going on here!?"

Shin turned to see Lao standing alongside a Panda holding a jade staff. "Master! He is a thief!" the leopard pointed at Shin who remained quiet. The panda looked over at Shin before turning to the leopard, "He is a guest! Why are you accusing him of theft!" The leopard was taken aback but still tried to defend herself, "He was trying to steal the dragon scroll!" "Enough! You desecrate this sacred hall! Leave!" The leopard was startled as she grit her teeth and left the hall in silence. Shin greeted the Panda and apologized but the Panda simply waved him off.

Lao introduced the two and left Shin in the care of the Panda named Son and returned to his village the next morning as Shin started his training; learning the various techniques and uses of Chi and how to harness it, along with various forms of martial arts and weapon techniques. Shin would continue this training for 2 months before returning to the Panda village and studying under the grandmaster.